For example, look at the interest in this e-ink, does-basically-nothing-but-call-and-text Light Phone, which pulled in $1.67 million on IndeoGoGo while pitching itself as “a phone that actually respects you.”

That’s a direct rebuke to the current connected culture.

Apple’s testing of iOS 12 time limits (which Android is planning a version of as well) attempts to scratch the same digital detox itch. It’s more evidence people are seeking tools to limit themselves.

Why does this Matter for Marketers?

You can draw a direct line from this shift in thinking to the job of digital marketers.

If people – increasingly aware of smartphones’ negative consequences – start to actively and deliberately spend less time with screens, they won’t be engaging with digital content for as long, or as often.

People won’t see as much of your content. The number of opportunities you’ll have to capture the attention of your target user will shrink.

Your content needs to engage right away, offer something valuable, because you don’t know when your next chance will be.

You need a compelling hook that can be explained in the opening seconds, something bite-sized as consumers’ attention spans – labeled by one group the “scarcest resource” around – continuetoshrink.

The content needs to be informative, educational, or entertaining. It needs to be abundantly clear how your message is relevant to your target audience’s life. (Being smart with your audience intelligence and targeting strategy can maximize this.)

And it needs to come across as authentic. Something that feels like an ad won’t get your brand or client anywhere.

The Value of Good Storytelling

Who’s in the best position to deliver this type of modern digital content? Storytellers.

They’re the people who made it their craft to pull emotional, resonant narratives out of content, and to then present it in a way that is easy to digest.

Storytellers are a natural fit to excel and innovate in the content marketing space, able to grab user’s attention in fractions of a second – a vital skill if that’s how little time your audience will be giving you.